


Come On, Take Them Off

by LaLainaJ



Series: Make Some Noise [25]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Arguing, Banter, Blow Jobs, Co-workers, Cunnilingus, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Fuckbuddies, Office Sex, klarolineauweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-27 19:52:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5061814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaLainaJ/pseuds/LaLainaJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caroline and Klaus met in college, formed a contentious (but productive!) working relationship that occasionally (okay, often) involved no strings attached sex. Years later, Caroline's surprised to see Klaus at her new job.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Come On, Take Them Off

**Author's Note:**

> For Day Five of klarolineauweek AU: All Human (Regular Joes)

**Come On, Take Them Off**

**(Prompt from thetourguidebarbie: "We had an incredibly unstable love/hate relationship in college that involved a lot of excellent sex and now you're my coworker and this is incredibly awkward and then oops we fucked in your office" AU. Title from "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked" by Ida Marie. Smut.)**

**Present:**

"…and the rest of your team will trickle in shortly, and they'll help bring you up to speed. Any questions?"

Caroline opened her mouth, because  _of course_  she had questions, but her new boss' gaze flitted past her, towards the door, and the woman smiled slightly, "Ah, there's one of them now. You went to the same college, actually, so perhaps you know…"

"…Klaus Mikaelson," Caroline finished the sentence, trying for neutrality but failing miserably, if the smirk Klaus shot her as he approached was anything to go by. It had been more than five years since the last time she'd seen him, and she hadn't thought she ever would again. Caroline had been sure that she was over whatever weird thing they'd had. She'd chalked it up to the stress of college, and her hormones, making her think she'd felt things for him that she couldn't have.

But the way her mouth went dry, the way her heart sped up, told her that the confusing ball of emotions Klaus had always inspired in Caroline was rearing its ugly head.

Damn it.

Luckily Meredith Fell, who'd hired her, and had been giving Caroline the rundown of her new responsibilities, didn't know her well enough to sense that anything was off. She merely smiled, and patted Klaus on the arm, "Excellent! Hopefully, you two knowing one another will ease the transition. We're expecting great things from you, Caroline."

Caroline smiled, and was about to say thank you, but Klaus interrupted her, making a low, amused noise. "Careful, Meredith. Caroline's a bit of an overachiever. The first time we worked together was on a project where the rest of our group was less than helpful. She's a bit scary, at 3AM, high on caffeine with a deadline to meet. I rather feared for my life, at moments."

It's a fight, not to let the smile drop off of her face. Klaus' words seem innocent, even if the look in his eyes is heated and teasing.

Because they'd spent many late nights together. Studying, arguing, racing against the clock. How those nights had ended had evolved, with time. From contentious to cordial to something entirely different. But  _definitely_  less then innocent.

**April 2008:**

Caroline held her breath, as the last slide of their PowerPoint presentation faded away and Klaus' voice, uttering their closing remarks, with it. Klaus turned to her, his eyebrows raised expectantly, and Caroline let out a relieved sigh, "I think…"

"We're actually done?" Klaus interrupted, throwing himself down on the couch, and rubbing a hand through his hair, "Agreed. Finally. And I think it turned out quite well."

"Oh, totally. The A is in the bag as long as…"

"Useless and uselesser don't fuck up their parts. I know."

Caroline groaned and set her laptop on his coffee table, "Ugh. Group projects are the worst. I am going to eviscerate those idiots on my peer review."

Klaus laughed softly, turning to look at her, and Caroline was suddenly very aware that they were alone, in the privacy of his off campus apartment, and sitting very close together, her thigh resting lightly against his. She shook off that thought, because he was a dick, and she refused to be attracted to him, even if he  _was_  unfairly hot. And maybe he'd turned out to be kind of a lifesaver on this project, being the only other member of their assigned group with a functioning brain, proving that he wasn't as heinous as she'd assumed.

Caroline cleared her throat, shifting away, "Seriously, you think I'm joking. But if either one of them sees me coming after the presentation they had better run in the opposite direction. Don't tell my mom but I would happily murder them both."

Klaus smirked, the one that usually preceded him saying something that made her want to hit him, "So you anticipate me meeting your mother, then? And here I thought you didn't much like me."

Caroline rolled her eyes, "I don't like you. But, and don't let this inflate your already supersized ego, you did good work on this project and I appreciate it. "

He blinked at her, and she took a tiny amount of satisfaction in the surprise that danced across his face. He shuttered it quickly, placing a hand over his heart mockingly, "Never thought I'd eke out a compliment from you, sweetheart. I shall treasure it always."

"And you wonder why I don't like you," Caroline grumbled, elbowing him.

"Ouch," Klaus complained rubbing his side, "get a little rough in the wee hours, do you? I'll remember that."

Ordinarily, that would cause her to bristle and stomp off, but Caroline was just too tired. "Oh goody, lame sexual innuendos. Yet another reason why you're annoying. Just in case you were wondering." She leaned her head back against the couch and closed her eyes, trying to muster enough energy to get up. Klaus had cut her off from the coffee pot a couple of hours ago, claiming that she was getting a little manic and he was concerned, and so she's mostly been fueled by her stubborn determination to get the project done. But now she was flagging fast, and she still had to drive home before she could crash for a couple of hours.

"Perhaps I just think you're particularly beautiful when you blush."

Caroline scoffed at that, "Please. I don't blush. There are no shy virgins in this room, Klaus. I can guarantee you that nothing you've said to me is dirtier than the thoughts I've had about you."

Oh shit.

Caroline froze as she registered what she'd just said. Had she really just confessed to Klaus that he starred in her sexual fantasies? And could she pretend she hadn't? Maybe blame the fact that she'd been up for nearly 24 hours now?

The silence in the room told her that was unfortunately not an option. Reluctantly, Caroline cracked her eyes open, and looked over at Klaus who'd evidently been waiting for her attention, because he smiled, slow and pleased, before murmuring, "Tell me more, love."

Yeah, that wasn't happening. Even if dirty talk  _might_  have featured pretty heavily in said fantasies. It totally wasn't her fault that the accent did  _things_  to her, okay?

Caroline edged away from him, striving to seem dismissive, "Don't read anything in to it, Klaus. You're hot, I'm hot and I haven't had a steady boyfriend since high school. And newsflash, finding a guy who's willing to keep things casual, but still put in the work to get you off is kind of like finding a unicorn. It's usually easier to do it myself. I spent almost half of a paycheck on a really good vibrator but a decent orgasm still requires a little imagination."

Caroline wanted to smack herself as she spoke, knowing she was just digging the hole deeper, but the words just kept coming.

"I would," Klaus said simply, after she'd managed to stop rambling.

"You would what?" Caroline asks, a little confused.

"Work to get you off."

He looks so earnest, his eyes dropping to her lips as he inches just the tiniest bit closer to her. Caroline forces a laugh, "Right. Sure. Very funny Klaus."

"I assure you I am entirely serious, Caroline."

"You want to sleep with me?" She's not as skeptical as she sounds, because she's not entirely blind to the way he looks at her. But she'd seen him be effortlessly charming with other women so she'd always assumed that, had he any genuine interest in her, he'd have been a little smoother about it. And not challenged her opinion at every turn, in every class they'd shared, in the ten months since they'd first met.

"The sleeping part's optional, of course. Figuring out how to make you come wouldn't be. It would be a pleasure, I'm sure, to explore you, to find out what makes you moan for me."

Caroline swallows hard, looking away, and fighting not to squirm because the intense way he's looking at her is so much hotter than she'd been able to picture. "I'll keep that in mind," she stutters, standing from the couch. She stumbles, almost immediately, her legs stiff and exhaustion making her uncoordinated.

Klaus steadies her, his hands on her hips, and she's far too aware of the tips of his fingers pressing into her skin where her t-shirt had ridden up. Caroline tries to take a step away, but he follows her, standing so that he's nearly pressed against her in the narrow space between the couch and the coffee table, "I should go," Caroline says, avoiding his eyes, "I need to sleep."

"You can sleep here."

Um, presumptions, much?

"Whoa, buddy," Caroline begins sharply.

Klaus holds up his hands, putting some distance between them and sidestepping around the couch, "Just to sleep. You're tired and unsteady and I wouldn't feel right about you driving like this."

Caroline knows he's right, hears her mother's voice in her head ('Drowsy driving is impaired driving, Caroline! Be careful.'). "Fine," she agrees grudgingly, glancing around, "but please tell me this place has a guest room?"

"It does. But I'll take the bed in there and you can take mine. I use the second bedroom for… other things."

His vagueness gives Caroline pause, "The trophies you take from your victims?" she asks archly.

He lets out an amused noise, motioning for her to follow him down the hall, "Not a serial killer, love."

"Sex dungeon?"

He turns at that, hand on a door knob, eyes her up and down, "Why? Is that something out of those dirty fantasies you mentioned?"

She narrows her eyes at him, irked by his ability to turn things around on her so easily, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Oh, I would. But," he turns the knob, pushing the door open enough so that Caroline can see inside, "I'm afraid it's nothing so illicit. Just an art studio."

Caroline presses up onto her tiptoes, trying to see more, gets a glimpse of sketches tacked to a wall and stacks of canvases, before he's shutting the door again. "My room's next door. You can help yourself to something to sleep in from the closet, if you'd like."

She tries not to press for more information, because they're not friends, and it's not her concern, but this new tidbit about Klaus made her curious. Why was he studying business if he was serious enough about painting to dedicate a room to it? Was he any good? Caroline had never been very skilled at managing her need to know things, and this was going to bug her.

Fighting her need to begin peppering him with questions she offers him a polite smile, "Goodnight, Klaus. Thanks for letting me stay."

He presses a kiss to her cheek, soft and unexpected. Klaus says, "Sleep well, Caroline," before he disappears into the converted room, closing the door gently between them. She'd never admit it, but she stands there, staring at the door, for a long time.

**Present:**

She smiles at the right places, laughs at Meredith's comments, but Klaus can tell from the way she's standing, just a touch too straight, and from her slightly unnatural pitch, that Caroline's annoyed. Likely because Caroline Forbes did not like to be caught off guard, and he's quite certain that she'd not expected to run into him on her first day at her new job.

He'd known she'd be starting today, of course. It's the entire reason why he's here so early.

Eventually Meredith glances at the clock and realizes that she's got a conference call to lead and would Klaus mind terribly getting Caroline up to speed with the projects the team is currently working on?

Klaus assures her that he's happy to. Caroline's lips thin, but she quickly regains her pleasantly neutral expression, as Meredith takes her leave.

"This way, love." Klaus ushers her in the correct direction, placing his hand slightly too low on her back.

"No pet names in the workplace," she snips, walking slightly faster than he is, heels tapping loudly on the hardwood floors, until he's no longer touching her.

"And outside the workplace?" Klaus asks, genuinely curious.

"I don't see us spending much time together outside these walls, do you?"

He does. Has plans to ensure just such a thing, but telling her that at this juncture would be counterintuitive. So Klaus ignores her question, and opens the door to the main work room. There's a wall of windows opposite them, with a great view of the city, and the space is dominated by a conference table and ergonomic chairs. Klaus gestures to the doors that ring the room. "Offices. Doors mostly stay open, unless we have clients. Or we're tearing out hair out over something and want to do it in private. We like to hide our messes. Let me show you yours."

Conveniently located across from his.

"Your neighbor on the left is Katherine Pierce, the only other woman on the team. She'll probably like you more than she did the woman you're replacing, by virtue of the high heels." Klaus nods down at her feet, and if he lets his eyes linger on her calves a beat too long Caroline doesn't seem to notice.

"On the right, is Marcel Gerard. Good bloke, great with clients, likes just about everyone. He should be along shortly, he's usually the earliest in."

Although he suspects that Caroline will soon take that honor for her own. They ran on flex time, able to choose to start at any time between eight and eleven, so long as it was consistent. Klaus remembers Caroline preferring to get an early start to her day, though it's entirely possible things have changed, over the years.

"And Matt Donovan and Josh Rosza round out the team. Matt's on vacation, at the moment, so you won't meet him until next week. And Josh was the newest, only started with us four months ago."

Caroline nods, absorbing the information, and Klaus is just about to move the conversation in a slightly more personal direction, when he hears the distant tapping of another pair of high heels approaching. He bites back a groan, putting some distance between himself and Caroline.

Katherine has eagle eyes and no filter and Klaus would rather not deal with her commentary just now, though he wasn't dense enough to believe he'd be able to dodge it forever.

Katherine pauses at the entrance way to the room, making a show of giving Caroline a once over. Caroline straightens, and returns the look, not cowering as some people were wont to do. Katherine could be intimidating, and she relished it.

"You must be the new girl," Katherine drawls, walking closer.

"And you must be Katherine Pierce," Caroline shot back.

"Aw, is Klaus telling tales so soon? Don't believe a word that comes out of his pretty mouth. He doesn't like me."

Caroline makes a dismissive gesture, "Oh, I wouldn't. Trust me."

Katherine visibly perks up, intrigued, "Making a bad impression so early, Klaus? That's not like you. You usually wait until you either a.) get into their pants or b.) they tell you that no, you are not ever getting into their pants, before unleashing your true personality."

Caroline lets out a laugh, "Yeah. That sounds about right."

"So… you two know each other?" Katherine eyes him, a hint of knowing in her gaze, "Funny, Klaus neglected to mention that when we learned your name."

Caroline seems surprised, looking back and forth between the two of them, "You knew I was coming?"

"Of course. They're very 'Rah Rah Team' here. We watched all the candidates' video interviews and were invited to give our input. So even if there were another Caroline Forbes out there Klaus would have recognized your pretty blonde head. And maybe, mentioned that he knew you. Or  _how_  he knew you."

It's laden with suggestion and Klaus is just about to tell Katherine to shove it (in a reasonably polite, workplace appropriate, way) but Caroline answers. "College. We got stuck together in a couple of group projects. Usually wanted to kill each other by the end."

Klaus resists the urge to refute that, unwilling to do so in front of their current audience. He and Caroline had fought their way through every project they'd collaborated on, sometimes viciously, true. Produced amazing work, every single time, making the disagreements worth it. But kill each other? Only if they'd been trying to commit murder via mind blowing sex.

"Sounds kinky," Katherine remarks, with an impish grin. "Come into my office, Caroline, and I'll give you the lowdown on how I manage these boys."

Caroline casts a wary glance his way, but Klaus stays silent. He has plenty of things he wants to say to her, but he knows there will be opportunities galore, in the coming days and weeks and months.

He'll bide his time.

**November 2008:**

"Will you just shut up for five seconds?!" Caroline whisper-shrieks. Her agitation is clear, and she's struggling to contain it, because they're in one of the private study rooms in the library. Klaus had locked the door, but sometimes the student workers got uppity and banged on it to lecture them about disturbing their fellow studiers. It had happened to them several times this semester, and Klaus half expected they'd be banned from using the rooms if it happened very many more.

Not that he'd mind. He had a perfectly nice flat, scarcely ten minutes from campus, that they could use. Caroline was the one that was reluctant to set foot in it.

Klaus took that as a positive, a sign that she still thought about his offer from last semester. He still had hope that she'd take him up on it, one day.

Caroline pushes her chair back from the table, and begins pacing. Klaus sighs, and swivels around to watch her.

She yanks the elastic out of her hair, tosses it onto the table, shaking her curls out, "I can't believe we're  _still_  arguing about this."

"We wouldn't be," Klaus replies evenly, "if you just admitted that I'm right and you're wrong."

"You're not right."

Klaus closes his eyes, and attempts to count to ten, because he knows that they'll never get anywhere if at least one of them doesn't remain calm and rational. It's odd that it's him, playing that role, but perhaps he's maturing?

He's at six, when he's startled by a weight dropping onto him, pushing his chair back a few inches until it slams into the table. His eyes fly open and he's met with the shocking, though pleasing, sight of Caroline Forbes, straddling his lap. "Caroline, what…"

When she mutters, "Shut up," she does so against his lips. And then Caroline's kissing him, her hands running down the front of his shirt, her tongue rubbing teasingly against his as she presses into him.

Klaus hands dangle uselessly at his sides, until she nibbles at his bottom lip, sucking gently to soothe the sting. Then they're running up her denim covered thighs, grasping her hips and pulling her closer. She rocks against him, her fingers sneaking under his shirt to trace the waistband of his pants, nails raking lightly, and Klaus lets out a groan, tearing his mouth from hers. He tries to speak again, but she grinds against him once more, and the pressure against his rapidly hardening cock is an excellent distraction as he tries not to moan.

She smirks down at him, "Pretty sure I told you to shut up, Klaus. Assuming of course, that you're still interested in getting me off?"

He nods, because it's been difficult to think of much else, when they've been locked away together, and he may have purposely baited her a time or two in order to hide his lack of attention to whatever material they'd been covering.

"Great! But first…" a devilish look crosses Caroline's features, and then her hands have left his stomach and are prying his hands off of her hips. She rises, nudging his knees apart to stand between them. "Take off your shirt."

Klaus clears his throat, "Why don't we go back to mine, love? Surely it'd be more comfortable? And private?"

Caroline shakes her head, "I guarantee you we're not the first people to fuck in one of these rooms, Klaus. There's a stash of condoms in the girls bathroom for a reason. Now. Shirt."

Klaus only hesitates for a few more seconds, before he complies, pulling it over his head. Caroline takes it, and drops it at her feet.

He leans back, and she studies him, appreciation and desire evident in her gaze, "Belt too."

Klaus raises a brow, not used to being the one taking orders, but not exactly hating it. He pulls his belt loose, works the button and zip of his jeans open, without asking questions.

She nods in approval, "I like the initiative."

And then she pulls off her own sweater, letting it join his on the floor. Klaus barely has time to take in the sheer pink bra she's wearing before Caroline's dropping to her knees, and he feels her lips brush his abdomen.

Klaus sucks in a breath, shocked and awed, his heart beginning to pound in anticipation. He feels Caroline smile against his stomach, and then she's glancing up, her eyes meeting his as her fingers hook into the waistband of his boxer briefs, her demand silent this time, but no less compelling.

He lifts his hips helps her pull his pants down until his cock springs free. She wraps a hand around him, her thumb running along the underside until it's circling the tip. He's having trouble processing this turn of events, how is it possible that just her hand feels  _so_  good? And then her head drops abruptly, her tongue following the path that her thumb had traced. Klaus lets out a noise that would be embarrassing, if he had the will to care about such things with her lips closing around the head of his cock.

She sucks hard, her tongue lashing the tip, and Klaus' eyes slide shut, when she pulls back, as he struggles not to buck insistently towards her mouth. She blows a stream of air against him, cool after the hot suction, and Klaus jumps, looking back down at her, "I want you to watch, Klaus. Tell me something, did you ever think about this? What my mouth would feel like around your dick?"

He's nodding before she's finished her sentence, because of course he has. Since before they'd even spoken, one on one. Back when she was just the gorgeous blonde with the opinions and the eyes that spit disdain when Klaus argued with her in class.

She licks him again, rasping her tongue over the exact right place below the head. Klaus shifts in his seat, trying to keep breathing evenly. "How am I doing so far?" she asks, the glint in her eye telling him that she knows exactly how turned on he is, and that she likes it.

"It would be better if you took off your bra," Klaus tells her, his voice hoarse and just on the edge of pleading.

She bites her lip, like she's considering it, "Pretty sure you won't be able to see much. And it's not like you can reach…"

"Caroline…" Klaus trails off and he's tempted to add a please, to hurry things along, but it proves to be unnecessary as her hands leave his thighs and cross behind her back, her bra quickly loosening and falling away.

He wants to touch, moves forward with that purpose in mind, but her hand is firm on his chest, telling him to stay put.

"Boys and boobs," Caroline mutters, sounding mystified, before leaning back in. She stops, just before taking him in her mouth again, and Klaus bites back a protest, "And try to be quiet, okay? If you get us kicked out of here because of your sex noises I'm going to be pissed."

Klaus nods stiffly in acknowledgement, sure he'd agree to just about anything, if only she keeps going. He grips the arms of his chair to stop himself from burying his hands in her hair. He keeps his eyes open, not that it's a hardship, the sight of her lips stretched around his cock something he's sure he'll replay often. She varies the pressure and the speed, keeping him off balance, until his legs are shaking and his knuckles have turned white. Then her hand is cupping his balls, and he knows he's just about done for. He groans her name, softly, in warning, and her lips come off of him with an audible pop. She looks up at him, questioning, her hands picking up where her mouth had left off, stroking and rolling,

"Caroline I'm going to…"

She rolls her eyes, tossing her hair back, "Come in my mouth? Yeah, I got that thanks. Go ahead."

Klaus feels his eyes widen, but before he can say anything Caroline's sucking again, and she lets out a long hum on her way down, looking up at him and moaning on her way up in a way that has Klaus muttering curses. He tries to hold on, because he'd quite like her to know he has  _some_  stamina, so she's willing to let him attempt to make good on his original offer, but Klaus finds that he can't and then his hips are twitching, his head falling back, as he lets go.

She swallows around him, and Klaus moans again at the feeling, and Caroline pulls back. She uses a dainty finger to wipe the edge of her lips, before she sucks it into her mouth, her cheeks hollowing around it as she watches him.

Klaus licks his lips, struggles to get his brain working enough to say anything, as she rises. He grabs her hand, tugging her towards him, kisses her stomach as he works the fastening of her jeans.

He's just managed to work a hand inside, can feel the heat of her, centimetres from his fingertips, when there's a tentative tapping at the door. Caroline moves quickly, backing away and scooping up her bra. She's working her arms through the straps when the voice of the knocker comes through, effectively shattering the mood, "Um, is everything alright in there? Someone said they heard moaning and I do not want to clean up puke. Again."

Klaus wants to scream, but he refrains and clears his throat, calling back, "We're fine! We're just getting ready to leave. I dropped a book on my foot."

Caroline smiles, probably at his lame excuse, shaking her head, but really, did she expect him to be at his intellectual best after what she'd just done to him? Not bloody likely.

"Five minutes," the library attendant replies sternly, tapping the door again before walking away.

Klaus waits a moment, until the footsteps fade, before he picks up his shirt, and walks over to where Caroline's packing up her stuff, "Now, where were we?" he asks, trying not to sound as hopeful as he feels.

The look she shoots him is incredulous, "If you think five minutes is all it's going to take you totally oversold yourself."

"Come back to mine and find out?" Klaus offers, attempting to seem casual.

The few seconds she spends considering might just be the longest of his life. But then Caroline nods, and Klaus' quite certain he's grinning like an absolute idiot.

**Present:**

Caroline had really, really tried to beg off going for post work drinks with her new team, but her protests had been steamrolled by Katherine's pushiness, Marcel's easy charm and Josh's exuberance.

And now they were drinking tequila.

More tequila than was appropriate, for a Monday, but when Katherine had called "And a round for Matty Blue Eyes!" they'd all done a shot and then they'd made up increasingly feeble excuses to do more. Caroline was a little drunk, and dreading tomorrow, but she'd been assured than Meredith was incredibly tolerant of hangovers, and that getting a new team member wasted was practically tradition.

They'd said their goodbyes, after a couple of hours, and Caroline was outside the bar, waiting for a cab. She was racking her brain, hoping she remembered her new address, but the exact numbers were proving difficult for her liquor soaked mind to grasp.

The street was quiet, so she stiffened when she heard footsteps behind her, reaching into her pocket and fingering the pepper spray that was attached to her keychain (thanks, mom!). Glancing back over her shoulder Caroline was momentarily relieved that it was just Klaus, before she remembered that she'd planned to avoid him until she sorted out how she felt about seeing him again.

She needed to make a list. Possibly call Bonnie for some emergency girl talk.

He walks over to stand beside her, and Caroline does her best to hold still, and not sway on her feet. Because he's studying her, and even though it's been awhile, he's seen her drunk before, and probably knows the signs. He'd managed to avoid the bulk of the tequila shots, weathering Katherine's boos with an unconcerned shrug, so he's considerably more sober than she is.

"Where are you headed, love?" he asks casually, reaching out to grasp her elbow.

Shit. That meant that she probably wasn't doing so well in the balance department.

"Home," Caroline tells him, wincing internally at how petulant she sounds.

"I'd assumed as much. Where's home these days?"

"Clark Street."

"North or south?"

Caroline's not actually entirely sure. Which was embarrassing.

Klaus picks up on her unsureness, leveling her with a mildly disapproving look, "It's in my phone," she mutters defensively, crossing her arms.

"Right. Then I'll just accompany you, shall I?"

"I'm not a kid, Klaus," she snaps.

"I'm very aware of that, Caroline. But honestly, it's not out of my way at all and you're fairly new to the city. It's easy to get lost, even if you weren't tipsy. So find your phone and we'll share a cab, alright?"

Grudgingly, Caroline digs through her bag, unlocking her phone and finding the emails she'd exchanged about her lease. "It's north."

"Excellent. Even closer to my place. Do you mind walking a bit? We'll probably have more luck a few streets over."

Caroline nods, and follows him in the direction he'd indicated, wobbling a little on her high heels, seriously considering taking them off. Her concerns about how unsanitary that would be battling with her desire not to sprain an ankle. And then Klaus offers her his arm, like they're in a freaking Jane Austen novel. Caroline takes it, telling herself it's because she really didn't like her alternatives, and a semi comfortable silence falls over them.

Caroline tries not to lean too heavily on him, sneaking peeks at his profile out of the corner of her eye, until suddenly Klaus laughs, and she looks forward, knowing that he's caught her, "Just say whatever's running through that overactive brain of yours, Caroline. You're dying to say something."

"I thought you were going back to London," Caroline blurts out.

"I did," Klaus answers easily, "for almost a year. But my father and I get on better with one another with an ocean between us. I started looking into positions in the US before long. My younger brother and sister followed me here, and my older brother travels often for work, so I barely had time to miss them before they were around, pestering me, once again."

"Oh," Caroline says, at a loss for how else to reply. He'd never really mentioned his parents, back at school, when they were doing the semi-friends with serious benefits thing. She'd known a bit about his siblings, had found the number of them kind of fascinating, as an only child, and he'd indulged her curiosity with stories from time to time.

"Can I ask you a question, Caroline? About what happened after graduation?"

She wants to say no, entirely certain of what he wants to ask, but that wouldn't exactly be fair, now would it? But even though the cold air is sobering her up, Caroline doesn't feel nearly ready to give Klaus an honest answer. She tightens her hand on his arm, pulling him to a halt, waiting for him to face her, "Not yet, okay? I'm still kind of in shock that you're here. And I'm a little drunk. What I did was shitty and cowardly and I've never really let myself think about why I did it, you know? I probably should."

His eyes narrow, as he seems to try to judge her sincerity, before he nods in acceptance. "Fine. I suppose I did have a bit of an advantage, knowing you were coming. I can give you time, but I won't forget this, Caroline."

"You never forget anything," Caroline complains, looping her arm through his again, "have I mentioned how super annoying that is?"

**February 2010:**

Knocking on Klaus' door had proved unsuccessful. Maybe if she knocked out a song? Klaus was a total music snob (he had not appreciated her assertion that The Beatles were the NSYNC of their time. At all) so maybe 'Tik Tok' would summon him? Worth a shot.

Caroline was just hitting the first chorus, really starting to get into it, when the door was thrown open. Caroline had been leaning heavily against it. Without the support she stumbled forward, directly into Klaus' bare chest.

Not that she minded. Klaus' hot naked body was pretty much the whole reason she was here.

She nuzzled into his shoulder, snaking her arms around his waist, taking a deep appreciative inhale. He always smelled weirdly good, to a distracting degree, and it really wasn't fair, in Caroline's opinion. How was she supposed to remember what a douche he could be, when he smelled like that, and was so enthusiastic about oral sex?

Sadly uncommon, in college guys. They were all about the blow jobs but when it came to returning the favor? It was all excuses and pulling faces and weird technique.

Klaus runs a hand through her hair, and when he says her name he sounds sleepy and confused, "Caroline? What are you doing here? You smell like vodka, love."

"Spilled it. Sorry."

Caroline's pretty sure that vodka isn't a good smell, so she squirms away from him, and tugs off her dress. He's stiff (and not the fun kind of stiff, though she thinks that'll happen soon, judging by the bulge she feels pressed against her stomach) when she presses up against him and he pushes her away gently, hurriedly closing his door.

Whoops. Good thing is was so late or she probably would have flashed her mostly bare ass at Klaus' neighbors.

He keeps her at arm's length, his hands on her shoulders like they're at a chaperoned dance, "Caroline, are you drunk?"

"Little bit," Caroline confesses, running her fingers over his abs, liking the way they tense at her touch. "It's Valentine's Day."

"Was Valentine's Day," Klaus corrects, "three hours ago, give or take a few minutes. Which makes me wonder why you're here, pawing at me, and not with your boyfriend."

"Like you mind."

Klaus merely looks at her, waiting for an answer.

Caroline groans, faintly humiliated, muttering, "We broke up," and avoiding his eyes.

Klaus looks shocked, and Caroline can't blame him. She'd purposely made out like everything was hunky dory, unwilling to rehash the sniping they'd done when Caroline had first started seriously dating her now ex. Klaus touches her chin, dipping his head to look at her, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What? When?"

"Like six weeks ago?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Ugh!" Caroline throws up her hands and flounces away, "because you would have been all, 'I told you so, Caroline.' And yeah, you were totally right. He was boring and he talked way too much about himself and I faked a lot of orgasms cause he couldn't find my clit even if I drew him a map."

When she whirls back to face him, Klaus' lips are pressed together, like he's trying not to laugh, "I don't believe I ever said that last bit. Might have thought it."

She flops down on his couch, crossing her arms, barely noticing that she's mostly undressed. Klaus had seen every inch of her, seemed to enjoy them all, so a little partial nudity in his presence wasn't a big deal, "I don't like hearing I told you so's. From anyone. But especially from you."

"I'd like to think I'd have managed a little sensitivity, sweetheart. When presented with your broken heart."

"You? Sensitive? Puh-lease."

Klaus sits down next to her, and takes her hand, squeezing her fingers gently, "I'd have tried. For you."

She squints at him, taken aback, like she always is, when he's soft and open like this. So brushes it off, like she always does, because examining the reasons why it made her giddy, and why he did it in the first place, made Caroline feel crazy awkward.

She and Klaus argued. And they had hot sex. That was all.

They worked weirdly well together, and he was always her first pick for a project partner, because they pushed each other, and he made her better, even if the road was bumpy and Caroline occasionally wanted to throw things at him. They had moments where things felt almost friendly, usually after a successful presentation, of having handed in a kick ass paper. But he wasn't someone she'd call for advice about her boyfriend (mostly because he'd seemed to loathe them) and she'd hang up if he tried to do the same (mostly because he had terrible taste in women).

"My heart wasn't broken," she tells him, pushing deeper thoughts aside, and getting to the reason she'd treated him to the musical stylings of Ke$ha at 3AM. "Not even bruised. I seriously just was not that into him."

"So you didn't bang on my door because you felt bad about your breakup, on the most disgusting of commercialized holidays?"

Caroline shoots him an incredulous look, swinging her leg over his thighs until she's straddling him, "Seriously? I stripped and practically licked your chest, Klaus. Take a hint."

But he stops her, before she can kiss him, "You're drunk, Caroline."

"Not that drunk!" she protests, because she knows where this is going.

"Drunk enough." Klaus runs his hands up her sides, cruelly avoiding the fun areas, his voice dropping, "I like you sober, and responsive. I want you to remember everything, so when I text you reminders of the things I did to you, the memories are crystal clear, and I can watch you squirm in class."

God, she kind of loved it when he did that.

Klaus laughs softly, "I know you do, love. And I like it when you pull me into empty classrooms, and demand that I make you come."

Ugh, she totally hadn't meant to say that out loud. "You suck," Caroline tells him, with great conviction, shifting off of his lap and slumping into the couch, pressing her thighs together, to attempt to soothe the dull ache his words had started up.

Klaus smiles, turning towards her, running a single finger along the band of her panties. She swats his hands away, with a glare, because no way was she letting him start something he had no intention of finishing. "Don't be cross. We don't have class until one tomorrow. Plenty of time for you to sleep the liquor off and for us to catch up."

Caroline supposes she can deal with that, "Fine. Only because your bed is freakishly comfortable."

"And because you've not had a proper orgasm not from your own hand in ages, hmm?"

He sounds entirely too amused again, and Caroline shoves him half-heartedly, "Shut up."

He laughs outright at that, "If I remember correctly, your insistence that I do exactly that was how this whole thing started."

She scoffs, "Hey, if I'm not getting off, you're not getting off. Blowjobs are off the table until tomorrow. Assuming you live up to the hype, we can renegotiate."

"Don't I always?" Klaus counters, rising and pulling her off the couch.

She'd be annoyed about the smugness, but he kind of has a point.

**Present:**

It's late, when Klaus finally emerges from his office, and he'd assumed he'd be the only one still working. So he's surprised, when he finds that's not the case. There's a light coming from the crack underneath Caroline's door.

She's been tag teaming an account with Josh, with particularly difficult clients. They'd foolishly taken a low bid, with another agency, for a national campaign, and the results had been horrible. So they were a gun shy, prone to micro managing. Their doubts had only made Caroline more determined to deliver a spectacular final product and she'd been running herself into the ground to do so.

There are days where she seems to run on caffeine and little else, and Klaus finds himself a worried about her health (though her friendship with Katherine has come along nicely, in the six weeks they've been working together, and the abrasive brunette is at least good for barking, 'sit down and eat a sandwich before I make you,' saving Klaus the trouble, when Caroline seems to forget to eat).

She shies away from being alone with him, and Klaus doesn't press. He flirts, and sometimes she flirts back, and they've come round to a less antagonistic (and sadly less sexual) version of the working partnership they'd developed in college. They still butted heads, it was impossible not to, but once they got started they could finish each other sentences. It had happened in a group meeting, the rest of the team and Meredith fading away as they'd gone back and forth. Josh had pronounced it 'freaky' and Katherine had made a remark about how she felt like she'd been watching porn.

She'd received vicious glares from both Caroline and Klaus for that crack, the rest of the team hiding smiles behind coffee cups or hands. Katherine, characteristically, had not been at all repentant.

Klaus considers leaving quietly, but he's familiar with Caroline's tendency to get completely lost in her work, knows there's a possibility that he could come in tomorrow, to find her bleary eyed and wearing the same dress from today. So he taps on her door, waits for her soft, "Come in."

Klaus wanders in, helping himself to a guest chair, takes in the mess that is the top of her desk, "So? What is it then? The new crisis? And where's Josh?"

Caroline lets out a tired sigh, leaning back and stretching out her arms, "They hate the copy. I'm trying to adjust it without having to rewrite it because that will take forever and we're already behind schedule. And it's Josh and Aiden's anniversary."

"Ah, and your secret soft spot for romance wouldn't let you demand he stay, would it?"

"I can't help it if they are ridiculously adorable," Caroline retorts, an edge of defensiveness that's ruined by the way she winces when her back audibly cracks.

"You need to get away from that desk," Klaus tells her, "and you need food. Come on, Meredith has a couch and we can order pizza. I'll help you with the text."

She shakes her head, "You don't have to do that, Klaus. I'm fine. You can go home. I'm sure you have a million better things to do."

"I really don't," he assures her. Marcel's at a basketball game, Rebekah in the midst of finals, Kol away on a work trip. His last casual relationship had fizzled, right around the time Caroline had been hired, and Klaus is not one to lie to himself, so he's well aware that the timing isn't coincidental.

But still, Caroline hesitates. "Are you sure? I know things have maybe been a little weird, and I totally don't want you to feel like you're obligated…"

"Caroline," Klaus cuts her off, letting his exasperation shine through, "it's been awhile, but you know me. When have I ever done anything just because I felt obligated?"

She cracks a smile at that, "I suppose that's true. Alright, fine. Let me gather my stuff up and I'll meet you in Meredith's office."

**April 2010:**

**Caroline [TUESDAY 4:11 PM]:**

_Are you busy tonight?_

**Klaus [TUESDAY 4:15 PM]:**

_No, why?_

**Caroline [TUESDAY 4:16]:**

_You KNOW why._

**Klaus [TUESDAY 4:17]:**

_You wish to use my body, once again? I suppose I could make time for that._

**Caroline [TUESDAY 4:18]:**

_If it's such a hardship I can make do with my vibrator, you know._

**Klaus [TUESDAY 4:19]:**

_It's so unfair that you taunt me with that, and yet you won't let me watch._

**Caroline [TUESDAY 4:21]:**

_Life's not fair. Can I come over or what?_

**Klaus [TUESDAY 4:22]:**

_Obviously. I'll be home around 6._

**Caroline [TUESDAY 4:23]:**

_Great. I'll be the blonde in the blue dress outside your apartment. And I won't be wearing panties._

**Klaus [TUESDAY 4:23]:**

_Also unfair, Caroline. You can't say things like that._

**Caroline [TUESDAY 4:25]:**

;)

When the elevator opens, Klaus' eyes are immediately drawn to Caroline, leaning against his door. She catches his eye, makes a 'hurry up' gesture, and Klaus can't help but grin at her eagerness. It's why he's come to love finals, these last few years. Caroline has a few preferred outlets, when it comes to dealing with stress, and Klaus does not mind being one of them in the least.

But he does like to tease her, so he keeps his pace slow, as he approaches, "Evening, love. Have a good day?"

She's silent, as he approaches, and when he's within reach her arm shoots out, and grabs a handful of his shirt, yanking him in to her. Klaus goes willingly, his hands spanning her hips and pressing the length of her against the door. She buries her face in his shoulder, her words coming out tired and clipped, "My day was a nightmare, thanks for asking. And I have a meeting with my awful International Marketing study group at 8. That leaves me with approximately one hour and fifty minutes to make this day not totally suck. You wanna help me with that?"

"Always," Klaus tells her, letting go of her to dig out his keys, and unlock the door. She makes it difficult, her lips wandering up his throat, as her hands creep under his shirt.

Klaus grits his teeth, and tries not to concentrate on the bite of her nails, the press of her hips into his, fumbling until the door opens. He's not thought this through, however, and the door swinging open throws them off balance, and they stumble ungracefully across the threshold, legs tangling. It's lucky his flat is small, and they manage the few steps to his couch, before toppling over in a heap. Caroline's shaking, underneath him, and Klaus heaves himself up, brushing her hair from her face, to make sure she's alright. But she's laughing, cheeks turning pink, "Smooth, Klaus," she manages between giggles.

He narrows his eyes at her and sits up, pulling his shirt off, satisfied when her laughter fades. One of her legs is pinned behind him, the other off the couch, her foot resting on the floor, her dress riding high on her thighs. He puts his hands on her legs, runs his thumbs teasingly along her soft skin, pushing her dress up. "You're a liar, Caroline Forbes," Klaus accuses, seeing the pink lace knickers she wears.

Caroline grins up at him, unrepentant, "It's windy," she justifies, before she shifts, pressing downwards, a silent demand for more of his touch.

It's a demand that Klaus ignores, running his palms down the length of her legs, pulling her shoes off and letting them drop to the floor.

"Klaus," she says, sounding peeved, "you're kind of on the clock here."

He shakes his head, smiling down at her. They've nearly two hours, and while it's not long enough to do everything he  _wants_  to do to her, it's plenty long enough for her to come for him, more than once. But Caroline has never been very patient, when they're like this.

She proves his point, letting out an annoyed sigh. Caroline runs her hands slowly down her body, fingering the top band of her underwear. She makes no move to push them down, as he's assumed she would, and a tiny evil smirk, one that Klaus  _knows_ , that he both loves and loathes, in equal measure, graces her features. And then her hand disappears, under the fabric, and her head tips back in a moan as she touches herself.

Klaus bites the inside of his cheek, to keep from cursing. He sometimes forgets that she knows his triggers, every bit as well as he knows hers. They've been sleeping together off and on (more on than off, especially this year) for quite some time now, so it's only natural. And this is not the first time she's ruthlessly exploited, something she knows he likes.

Caroline's smirk turns triumphant, as his hands go to her knickers, beginning to peel them away. Her hand speeds up, lips parting around a gasp. "Maybe," she pants, her eyes taunting, "I should have saved myself a trip?"

Instead of answering, Klaus slides off the couch. He hitches her thigh over his shoulders, watching her fingers play with her clit for as long as he can bear it. Then he stills her wrist, and bends to suck her clit into his mouth. Her back arches off the couch, and after a couple of swirls of his tongue Klaus pulls back, easing his fingers inside of her. This time when she moans it's high pitched and needy. He wants to say something witty, but frankly there's not enough blood in his brain, to make intelligent speech a reality.

Her legs are tense, faintly trembling, and Klaus kneads the muscles, relishing the little shudder that overtakes her. She props herself up slightly, looking down at him, pupils blown and her lips are wet, "Klaus," she says, faintly pleading, urging him closer with her heel on his back.

He's never quite able to resist her, and why would he, when watching her come undone is one of the best things he's ever seen? He speeds up the motions of his fingers and sets his mouth on her again, applying pressure where he knows she likes it, following the motions of her body as she rides out her pleasure, her fingers scrabbling for purchase on the upholstery under her as his name falls from her lips again, drawn out and breathless.

She's still, for several moments, after she finishes, trying to force her ragged breaths to calm. Klaus kisses her hipbone, easing the dress she's unfortunately still wearing up her torso, "I do believe we have time for more, yes?"

Caroline snorts, pushing herself up and taking over for him, pulling her dress over her head. Her hair tumbles around her shoulders, and she leans forward to unclip her bra, pressing a quick kiss to Klaus' lips. She lets the bra fall away, and slips off the couch onto his lap, pressing her breasts to his chest and rocking against him, "Hell, yes. Now take off your pants."

**Present:**

They hadn't lasted long, on Meredith's couch, soon retreating to the floor and spreading out Caroline's papers. Klaus is very aware of her thighs, specifically of the lace tops of the stockings she appears to be wearing, just visible from the way the slim skirt of her dress is bunched up, to allow her to sit.

She'd never worn anything like that at university. Not for him, at least.

Klaus does some uncomfortable shifting, tries not to stare too obviously, unwilling to make things awkward. And obscures the obvious bulge in the front of his trousers with his laptop.

Delving into the client's notes, Klaus had immediately seen why Caroline had taken to tearing out her hair, when dealing with them. They were a mess, full of contradictory ideas and vague, unhelpful, statements. How did one make something, 'more zippy?' Klaus had not the faintest idea.

But they muddle through, spending nearly two hours, trying to straighten things out, until finally Caroline lets out a groan, flopping back onto the floor, rubbing her eyes. "That's it. I am done. Towel thrown, at least for tonight. I might even text Josh, and tell him I'm going to start late tomorrow. Pretty sure I deserve it."

"I agree, love."

She nods, resolutely, reaching her arms over her head, and letting out a groan at the full body stretch. And she's obviously trying to kill him, because years ago she'd done the exact same thing, on the numerous mornings she'd awoken in his bed. Except she'd been naked. And it had usually been before she'd rolled on top of him. She can't think he doesn't remember that, can she?"

Klaus' next words fall from his mouth, without his brain's permission, "Why'd you leave that morning, Caroline?"

She freezes, arms suspended above her head, eyes darting to him.

He should probably take the words back, should probably wait for a better time. He'd always meant to broach the subject gently. In a comfortable location. With wine, maybe food.

But it's out there now, and Klaus dearly wants to know the answer. Would taking it back do any good? Or would it just ramp up the awkwardness that they've managed to avoid so far? Klaus makes the decision to let the question lie, watching her intently.

Caroline sits up, tucking her hair behind her ears, looking up at the ceiling, "God, I've been thinking about this for weeks, and I have no idea how to start."

"Take your time, love. I've wondered for years, I'm sure I can survive a few more minutes. Perhaps you could start with why you lied to me?"

**May 2010:**

It's after eleven, Caroline's dorm room is packed up and ready for her dad to come pick her up tomorrow. But Caroline's not at all sleepy. She'd just gotten out of the shower, and is glancing around her empty room, debating running out to get something to eat.

And then her phone rings.

Caroline grabs it, grateful for the distraction. She feels overwhelmed, and kind of sad, knowing this part of her life is over, despite the fact that she's proud of how well she'd done (college had totally been her bitch, and Caroline's sure she'll be able to conquer the next stage of her life too). She's excited to get out into the world, to try her hand at being an actual grown up.

She rolls her eyes, when she sees that it's Klaus calling, though her lips form a fond smile. She taps answer, but doesn't even get a chance to say 'Hello,' before his voice is coming through the speaker. She can tell he's wasted, by the way he drawls out "Caroline," as if her name contains about fourteen o's and eight i's.

Well, there go her hopes for one last hook up before they wander off in separate directions. Things have been weird between them for weeks, strained in a way they never have been before, both of them opening their mouths to say something, that they never quite managed to. Caroline always chickens out, and Klaus always turns whatever he'd been thinking into a quip, but the tension lingers. The way he touches her has been different, he seems to want to take his time, and though he's always liked to watch her, there's a new focus now, like he's trying to memorize their final moments.

Caroline's going to miss him, and she has no idea how that happened, or how to tell him, or if he'd even care. Or what she could possibly do if it turned out that he did.

She's taken too long to reply to him, and Klaus has taken to chanting her name, emphasizing the syllables in different ways. It was probably time to get him cut off, and make sure he's not laying in a ditch somewhere, "Hey, there, drunky. I take it you had a good time after graduation?"

"My brother was indignant that no one will serve him alcohol here. So I bought bourbon. Lots and lots of bourbon."

"I can tell," Caroline replies, amused. "So you're alright? You don't need a ride home?"

"Nope. I'm at home. Elijah took Kol and Bekah back to their hotel," Klaus' voice drops suggestively, though the effect is kind of ruined by the slurring, "So I'm all alone. Do you want to come and keep me company?"

"I don't know," Caroline teases, "pretty sure you're too drunk to be of much use to me."

"Don't pretend you only like my cock, Caroline Forbes," Klaus says seriously, "I am on to you."

She laughs, "You maybe grew on me. A little. Like mold."

"That's right I did," Klaus boasts proudly, before he falls silent. Caroline can hear him breathing, so she knows he's still there, and when he speaks again it's softer and cajoling, "Come over, love. Please? One last night? Just to sleep, if that's all you want. I want to see you."

Caroline swallows hard, around the lump that's suddenly formed in her throat. She wants to see him too, at least one last time. "Okay," she agrees, inhaling shakily, "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

His door's ajar, when Caroline gets there, and she's going to have some serious words with him about that later because did he want to get robbed and/or serial killed?

She's about to push it open when she hears a crash, the sound of glass breaking, coming from inside the apartment. Caroline jumps and enters in a rush, worried that he's managed to hurt himself.

But Klaus seems fine, standing in the kitchen, no blood in sight.

"Ugh, give me a heart attack why don't you!" Caroline can't help scolding him, dropping her purse on the table.

"Thirsty," Klaus mumbles. "Water is slippery."

Rounding the island, Caroline sees that he's dropped a glass, and that he's not wearing shoes. He's swaying a bit, and she hurries over to him, ignoring the crunching under her sneakers, "Hey, careful. Don't move your feet, okay?" She helps him lean over slightly, so he's supporting himself on the counter, before she darts down the hall to grab a towel. She cleans up the mess, keeping a careful eye on him, but Klaus seems content to watch her work.

When Caroline's done she takes his arm, to lead him out of the kitchen, "You know you have perfectly good, perfectly  _plastic_ , bottles of water in you fridge, right?"

Klaus seems to think about that, for a minute, his face creasing with what seems to be great effort. Caroline bites her lip, to keep from laughing when he finally says, "I think I forgot."

"I am so tempted to film this, because you're going to be super embarrassed later," Caroline tells him.

"You won't be here later," Klaus replies solemnly. "That's why I'm drunk."

Caroline looks over at him, pulling them to a stop. A little too abruptly, given Klaus' diminished reflexes, and he teeters, before he catches himself on the wall, "What does that even mean?" she asks.

Klaus reaches out to her, fingertips stroking her collarbone clumsily, "My brother Kol's appallingly nosy. Doesn't exactly believe in discretion, when it comes to telling tales about his sexual exploits. Or asking about mine. And I realized that I have none to tell."

"Gee, thanks," Caroline bites out flatly, not sure if she's more offended that he was bragging to his brother about his sex life, or that she apparently wasn't worth a mention.

Klaus shakes his head, trying to pull her into him, "No, not like you're thinking. I realized I haven't been with anyone else all year, Caroline. And that I hadn't wanted to. And that the thought of talking about you like you're just some girl I fuck on occasion turns my stomach."

"Oh," Caroline says, wincing at the lameness of it, urging him into walking again, "I'm… not exactly sure what to say to that."

They reach the door to his bedroom and Klaus disentangles himself from her, making his way unsteadily towards the bed. "And that's the problem, isn't it?" Klaus says, letting himself fall onto the mattress, "I'm quite sure I'm in love with you, and you have no idea."

Caroline sucks in a breath, floored. Because she hadn't expected that. That Klaus harbored some feelings, yes. But love? That was far more than she'd expected him to ever admit.

She wants to press him, but it wouldn't be fair. Not when he's drunk and chatty and pliable. It's entirely possible that he won't remember this tomorrow, that he'd never meant confess the depths of what he thinks he feels for her.

He's got a leg hanging off the edge, and Caroline goes over, pushes until he gets the hint, and rolls over with a grunt, until he's on the bed more fully. She undoes his belt, and he cracks his eyes open, with a mischievous smile. It would usually send all sorts of naughty ideas spinning through Caroline's mind. But not right now, when his eyes are bleary and bloodshot and having trouble focusing, "I thought you said there'd be none of that tonight?" he mumbles.

Caroline giggles at his hopeful expression, "There won't be. But you're going to be cranky enough tomorrow, even if you don't sleep in your clothes."

He seems to agree, shifting in an attempt to help her. He's more of a hindrance, especially when he decides that his shirt and boxer briefs should go too.

She keeps her eyes averted, to the best of her ability (but she's not claiming to be a saint, okay?) He's restless, trying to get comfortable, pulling the covers up to his chin. "I'm going to get you some water," she tells him. "Don't move."

Klaus is barely managing to keep his eyes open, at this point, but his hand reaches out, latches onto her wrist, "You'll stay?"

Caroline's not sure if it's wise, and she knows that she's about five seconds away from a moderate to severe freak-out, and she'd really rather do that in the relative privacy of Klaus' kitchen. "I'll stay," she agrees quietly, and Klaus lets go, turning over onto his side.

Caroline catches his softly muttered, "Thank you," just before she leaves the room.

**Present:**

"I did not lie," Caroline insists. Klaus looks skeptical, so she keeps talking, "I didn't! I stayed. I left at like 8AM."

"And left Advil on my night stand. And set up my coffee pot and washed my dishes. All very polite. Didn't exactly make me feel better about finding you gone."

It's only mildly accusatory, and he mostly masks the underlying hurt, but Caroline still feels terrible.

"I'm sorry," Caroline blurts out. She shifts slightly closer. She wants to touch him, take his hand, something. But she forces herself not to, not sure if the gesture would be welcome.

Klaus doesn't reject her apology, and at least that's something. "Why, Caroline?" he presses.

"Do you remember what you said to me?" she says, words bleeding together in a rush, but he manages to understand.

Klaus lips twist with wry amusement, "Do I remember drunkenly confessing to loving you? Something I'd never done before, or since? Of course I do. Sort of hard to forget, when I always assumed it to be the reason you fled."

"Klaus, seriously? No." Caroline gives up on not touching him, pushing up to her knees and moving closer, wrapping both of her hands around one of his, pulling gently until he looks at her.

"I left because I was twenty-one, and kind of an idiot sometimes. I left because I assumed certain things about our relationship, and you kind of shot those assumptions to hell. I left because I didn't know how to deal with the fact that maybe we were more than fuck buddies, and I felt stupid. What if you woke up, and remembered what you'd said, how was I supposed to avoid telling you that I loved you too? And then what were we even going to do? I was driving back to Virginia that afternoon. And what if you didn't remember? God, that scared me more than anything. Because I wouldn't have been able to act normal, drama classes or not. And then I just kind of convinced myself that the whole thing was silly, and meant nothing. That it was something that I'd just blown up in my head. Turns out I kind of excel at denial, who knew? And then I saw you here, and I knew that I was screwed, and all the stellar effort I'd put into trying to forget you was useless."

He shakes her hands off and Caroline cringes, thinking he's angry. But Klaus wraps a palm around the back of her neck, pulling her forward, sealing his mouth over hers. She doesn't even think about not responding, opening her mouth and letting out a moan once she tastes him again.

He gets to his knees too, tipping her head back as he kisses her deeply, clutching her tightly to him. She grabs his biceps, tearing her mouth away, to pull in a breath. Klaus kisses down her neck and she lets out a hiss, tipping her head to the side to encourage him. Something about his lips, and the faint scratch of his stubble, after so long, felt almost unbearably good.

She barely notices his fingers, toying with her zipper, until the sound of the teeth parting gives her pause. It's loud in the quiet stillness of Meredith's office. They're too high up for street noise, and the night is inky black through the big windows.

"Klaus," Caroline mutters, untucking his shirt, and slipping her hands under, feeling up the line of his abdomen, "we really shouldn't do this here."

He laughs softly, and she feels his body shake against hers. She can't really blame him, because the way she's touching him, greedy for the feel of his skin, doesn't really scream 'stop.' "Come on, love," he coaxes. "Sex in inappropriate places is kind of our thing, is it not?"

He pushes her dress down to her waist, bends to lave her nipple, through the lace of her bra, applying just a hint of teeth. Caroline arches backwards, demanding more, and it's only his arm, firmly banded around her, that lets her keep her balance.

He switches sides, hooking a finger into the cup to pull it down this time, and his hot mouth on the sensitive peak makes Caroline forget why she'd thought this was a bad idea, reaching back to undo her bra.

He skims his fingertips along her lower back, toying with the band of her panties, occasionally dipping under.

Caroline makes a protesting noise, when he pulls away from her breast, is confused when he stands, and offers her a hand. But she takes it, lets him pull her up. Accepts his kiss, her fingers nimbly attacking the buttons of his shirt, shoving it off and running her hands all over his newly bared skin.

He moves backwards, blindly, and they're trampling her notes, but Caroline can't bring herself to care, not when they're bumping into the couch and he's sitting down. His hands are firm on her hips, preventing her from following him, and he yanks her dress off, before helping her straddle his lap.

"I like these," Klaus comments, a light touch skimming the straps of the garters she wears, watching his fingers on her skin.

The appreciation is nice, but Caroline wants more of his hands, less of his eyes. She reaches down and pulls, undoing the clips with harsh tugs. The fact that she's probably ruined the stockings is the last thing on her mind, because Klaus helps her fling the garter belt away, and then he's stroking her over her panties, pressing down and letting out a pleased hum, when he finds the fabric that covers her wet. "I have missed this," he says, tone almost reverent. He looks up at her, studies her face. Caroline doesn't try to hide how much she wants this, wants  _him_. He hooks his finger underneath the silk she wears, pushing his knuckle into her folds, teasingly running it up and down, until Caroline's grinding down, needing more friction, or direct pressure on her clit, or a part of him inside of her.

He slows, and she whimpers, curving her body over his to kiss him, she sucks his lower lip into her mouth, reaches down to fumble with his belt, "God, Klaus. More."

He slides her panties to the side, cupping her briefly before he eases two fingers into her. She moans against his mouth, when the heel of his hand pushes down, stimulating her clit. Caroline rocks against his hand, rubs her nipples against his bare chest. Her hands are shaking, yanking at his zipper, before she parts the fabric and shoves his boxer briefs down, getting her hand around his cock. He presses his mouth to her shoulder, bites down and groans her name.

She reaches down, tries to pull his hand from her. He resists, brushing his thumb over her clit and Caroline shudders, letting out a soft cry. "Klaus," she pants, "I'm going to come."

He smirks, pleased with himself, "I'm aware. I remember the signs."

She rolls her eyes, pulling more firmly on his wrist, ducking her head to suck his fingers into her mouth. Klaus eyes widen, and he goes rigid under her. It's not a move she would have thought to try, years ago, but it's clear that he likes it. After releasing his fingers, Caroline kisses him again, and he licks into her mouth eagerly, trying to follow her when she pulls back. She rests her forehead against his for a moment, clutching his shoulders and lifting up to position his cock at her entrance, "I want you inside me," she tells him, letting herself sink down. Klaus' head falls back, his eyes fluttering shut, face strained. Caroline grinds against him, once he's fully seated.

She doesn't move, even though she'd nearly desperate too. This feels better than good, better than she'd remembered. And she wants him to look at her.

He sets his hands on her hips, tries to lever her up, but Caroline bears down, and they both moan as he sinks deeper. "Look at me, Klaus," Caroline instructs breathlessly, "I thought you liked to watch."

His eyes open immediately. His pupils are blown and his iris' a dark blue. She slides up his length, torturously slowly, before dropping back down in a rush. He allows her to set the pace, his jaw clenching before he leans back, planting his feet and meeting her downward motion with a sharp thrust up. And then they're speeding up, trying to get closer, motions roughening with their need.

His fingers bite into her skin, but she knows she won't mind the bruises. His breaths are harsh, his teeth gritted. He manages to say her name, hoarse and needy and she knows he's struggling to hold on. She lets go of his shoulder, reaches down to rub her clit, "It's okay," she tells him. "Come. I'm almost…"

Klaus lets go then, shuddering underneath her, and she presses against him, her practiced fingers giving her the push she needs to follow him over the edge.

* * *

"Oh my god, we are so getting fired," Caroline mutters into Klaus' shoulder, several long minutes later. She makes no move to get up, however. She likes the feel of his skin, against hers, wants to savour it a little longer.

"Worth it," he answers immediately, tracing shapes on her back with gentle fingertips.

Caroline smiles, because as replies went, that one had been pretty damn charming. She rolls her head to the side, squinting at a clock on the far wall. It's close to 2 AM and she groans with the realization, pulling back to look at him. "We really need to go home."

Klaus' face dims, his eyes narrowing slightly, "I see," he says, tone clipped and cold.

Caroline touches his face, not allowing him to look away, because she's pretty sure she knows what he's thinking, and he's completely wrong. "I think we should go to dinner, tomorrow. Like a date. I know we've done this in the completely wrong order, and are therefore probably doomed, according to conventional women's magazine wisdom, but I'd like to try."

Her voice wavers, a little, at the end. Because the fear of rejection was a real thing, freaking terrifying, especially when you were naked. He'd thought he was in love with her years before, and there's no guarantee he still is.

Still. Caroline had been cowardly, when she'd run away before. She's not going to make the same mistake twice.

Klaus smiles, as she finishes her invitation, and his eyes light up, when he nods his acceptance. He looks happy, and a tiny bit shell-shocked, like he can't believe his luck.

Caroline thinks this might be the start of the best thing she's ever done.


End file.
